to ask if you constantly feel physically uncomfortable if youre overweight?

[polkaday]

What can you do about this?

This is me. Don't really want to talk numbers as fear people will dismiss me because technically my BMI is in the green healthy zone but on the very edge of it (having normally been on the other end of the green). Obviously gained weight. I have stomach rolls and jiggly thighs. High-waisted anything is uncomfortable. Or jeans in general. I used to be toned. Is this just normal aging, fat going around the middle? I constantly feel like I've had a big meal (even when hungry) just feel extra "stuff" around the middle. Have tried all sorts of diets/exercise. Physically holding the excess (skin/fat etc) and pulling it away feels better. My arms/legs dont bother me, its literally the middle, almost feel like I'm being suffocated, have a constant awareness at the moment.
Plan to continue trying to shed these extra weight (gained about 8kg) but is this what others that have gained weight feel like? Never feel light anymore?

I drink peppermint tea...it helps with that bloated feeling....like I'm pregnant! Lol

I’m the same as you, too end of green BMI and have always been lower end of it and muscly previously.
I found that oats and grains and maybe simply too much fiber caused me to feel pregnant and hugely uncomfortable, especially when sitting down.
I did loads of pregnancy tests and saw the doctor twice because it was so odd.
it’s better now that I’ve cut down on those things.

8kg probably isn’t enough to be causing the level of discomfort you are experiencing, especially if you are still in the healthy weight category.

Im overweight (not obese) and have no “symptoms” of my fatness. I can wear normal clothes comfortably (including skinny high waisted jeans) as long as I buy the right size. It sounds like you are trying to squeeze into clothes that don’t actually fit? Don’t go by the clothes size, go by what feels comfy.

That being said, I am going to start doing something about my weight soon. Yes, I’ll look better if I lose a stone. Yes, I’ll feel better about myself if I lose a stone. Neither of those things are my motivation though - my motivation is that it’s unhealthy to be overweight in the long term. Yeah I’m healthy now; but if I weigh this much at 50/60/70 it’s going to out more pressure on my joints/heart/lungs and so on. So I’m going to eat more vegetables, less carbohydrates, drink less wine and move more. It’s pretty simple.

Try the 16:8.

OP " I constantly feel like I've had a big meal (even when hungry) just feel extra "stuff" around the middle"

I am extremely overweight and don't have this. It sounds more like bloat discomfort? My mum and my sister are very slim and they both get it. Mum has IBS, she's actually underweight, and she and my sister have a lot of issues with feeling strangely bloated. They both drink peppermint tea but have recently tried the oil capsules and that's really helped.

I know the feeling you mean. I'm also at the top end of a healthy bmi but struggle a lot with my body, permanent dieting, dysmorphic traits, all that. In my case it's psychological.

I'm a stone overweight and the only discomfort I feel is really bad DOMs (delayed onset muscle soreness) from working out 8 times a week every week. I don't know if the DOMs will be less excruciating once I'm at a healthy weight/built more muscle, or if this is just normal.

Oh! I have discomfort from E cup boobs jiggling about, unless they're in a heavy duty sports bra. I'm really really hoping they go down a few cup sizes soon.

Just to make you aware constantly feeling bloated and full isn't part of being overweight, especially if you still feel like that when you haven't actually eaten for a few hours. Might be worth mentioning to a doctor.

I’m very overweight and don’t feel uncomfortable in the way that you describe. It could be bloating related to menopause depending on your age, IBS or a million other things, but without wanting to scare you, it’s worth getting checked out medically as some more serious conditions involve bloating, discomfort and weight gain being disproportionately on the tummy. There was a poster on here a few years ago asking for weight loss advice whose story sadly had a very unhappy ending.

I always drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day as dehydration causes water retention and bloating . If I let this slip I literally can increase a dress size in no time . I have 2 sizes in all my jeans and trousers so if I bloat I can go up to the next size until I rehydrate again .

Maybe stating the obvious but have you sized up in your clothes since you've gained weight? I felt uncomfortable round my mid because I was continuing to wear my old jeans even though they did up they were no longer the right size after the weight gain. After I bought bigger sizes, everything was in general more comfortable.

thanks everyone!

@Divorcedalongtime yep, worse when I'm sitting down and can feel the rolls touching eachother (feel disgusted with myself typing that out). Feels comfiest lying flat/standing than anything that requires bending and fat touching other bits of fat.

@Saltired I'm very short though (5'2) and a petite build. So 8kg is quite a lot for me I think, not sure how much is in my head but I went from looking very slight to fat in the middle basically. Not fussed about clothes sizes (still fit into size 8 dresses/tops/jumpers but stopped wearing trousers/jeans, leggings are fine though).
Yep good plan, I try to have veg, cooked meals and no junk too (I think my portions are too big and I do let myself have a takeaway or eat about once a week).

@Cherryblossoms85 Thank you, I did and noticed no difference! Felt a bit better perhaps but didnt lose any weight. I did one meal a day for a bit (OMAD) which definitely worked but I couldn't sustain that, then went down to 16:8 for months but lost nothing, now eat normal 3 meals a day and gained nothing.

@EmmaEmerald Thanks, I'll try peppermint. I think I'm just hyperaware of it perhaps.

@curlymacv Yes, I wonder if theres a psychological element to it too. I used to be able to (if I wanted) breath my tummy in and look basically very slim but now even if I do that theres too much fat around my tum. I think I need to work harder with the exercise/weight loss.

@Hubblebubble DOMs is weirdly lovely, almost makes me feel like I must have worked out well.

@Lulabelleblue Thanks I'm early 30s so hopefully its not anything sinister.

@FatGirlSwim Hopefully not menopause or anything sinister at my age. I wish I could just cut out all the extra bit of me/fat from around the middle. Just find it annoying that it just wont shift despite eating well and exercising. Find that I want to wear baggy clothes to hide now.

@Foodie6 I wear floaty dresses + tights etc. I have literally stopped wearing jeans, hate the feeling of squishing myself in. Still have a slim upper body/waist so makes it hard to find well fitting jeans/trousers (i.e my usual ones just feel suffocating but then if I size up to fit around the new chunky thighs/bum/tum its too loose around the waist).

I think you need to look at you, to be honest. You're not overweight, obese, or anything, but your body image is so poor your equating yourself with people like me who genuinely are, and that not healthy.

@SD1978 thanks for your message. I disagree though, wouldn’t say I have body image issue per se more that I feel physically uncomfortable. I’m going on holiday soon and have bought swimwear etc (not planning on not having a good time because of the weight gain). Currently in PJs and not even anything for 6hrs since dinner yet just feel.. ‘heavy’.

I think I’m finding the lack of control frustrating too. If I found my hair uncomfortable, I’d get a haircut etc. I can’t just shift this weight (certainly not easily). Almost feel like I’m carrying dumbells or wearing a backpack constantly. I guess I kind of am. It’s frustrating not being able to lose weight from where you want to. I suppose this is my reality check to nip it in the bud now and not continue gaining.

I have a hernia and feel exactly the way your describing. waiting on referrals at the minute all the weight is one area of my stomach and wouldnt budge which is why i went to the doctor might be worth going op

I get what you are feeling! Slightly different as I had a baby 4 months ago but since she came out, I feel like I have to move the fat into different positions to be comfortable. I kept thinking there was something wrong with me (hernia, something inflamed?) But pretty sure it is just fat so trying to lose weight and do some toning exercises.

Hi OP. I have always been in the healthy BMI range but last year I was right at the top end of it and I noticed a lot of what you’ve said particularly weight around the middle and feeling bloated and full. I started drinking apple cider vinegar first thing in the morning, upped the exercise and made sure I had really healthy food and smaller portions. I feel loads better now. I am older than you though (early 40’s) and peri menopausal which has definitely contributed.

I agree OP about the body issue thing . I don't think anyone should say this . you know how you feel and even if you are in the green for BMI you can still feel overweight . I think you know your own comfort level.

It’s interesting that the OP and other posters who say they feel this way are all at the top end of a healthy BMI rather than bigger. I am the same- my BMI is around 24, and I notice very quickly when jeans start to get tight, etc. I wonder if we’re more conscious of it because we constantly teeter around that point? I often see people who are quite overweight and wearing very tight clothes and wonder how they can bear the discomfort- there’s no way I could stand to be straining against waistlines etc to that extent.

I've been overweight, underweight and 'normal' at various points in my life, and yes I did also feel uncomfortable when overweight, largely because of where I put the weight on. But I do also think there's a big psychological component to it, because overweight people are looked down on in our society. I would also say that at the times in my life I have been overweight, ensuring I had clothing suited to my size and shape greatly helped me to feel more comfortable physically. It would be worse when I was conscious of my clothing pulling or ruching, if you see what I mean.

Nope. Not in the slightest.

And if high-waisted stuff is uncomfortable because it feels too tight, you've got the wrong size or cut/material.

You could be constipated, though. That can cause extreme discomfort.

I'm obese and most of my weight is on my belly. The only discomfort I find on a daily basis is when I lay on my side to go to sleep and I find it squashes up and I have to support it with a pillow. I have an overhang from where I had a c-section that has of course got bigger as I've put weight on; every now and then I get a bit of sore skin in the fold and have to use canestan cream on it. At the moment I don't have any joint pain or anything else. My BMI is about 31 I think.

No but I used to when I had a bmi of 42. Now it's in the edge of obese and I feel good. So maybe it's the gain rather than the overall size / weight? I think people can feel good at supposedly unhealthy bmi though.